SAVVY by DB Lipsticks and Swatches (MAC dupe?)

It is no secret that I am an avid lip product junkie. If there was anything I could collect forever, it would be lipsticks. Therefore whenever I am at the drugstore, my eyes are constantly unconsciously scanning for new lipsticks to try out, especially if they are affordable.

SAVVY by DB is a brand I have not explored much into, despite being one of the more affordable brands that exist in the Australian land of overpriced makeup. Exclusive only to Priceline (Australia), their stand never really caught my eye and none of the products stood out to me.
2 years ago, I purchased the Savvy by DB lipstick in Pretty Pink on a whim. Soon after that, I won a giveaway which brought two more of their lipsticks into my life: Nude and Guava. 

Packaging is pretty standard, in which the lipstick is housed in a brown plastic tube (at least it's not too cheap looking). The actual size of the lipstick is slightly shorter than say, the Revlon Lip Butters, and it's a great size for popping into the handbag or makeup bag. I like how the colour of the lipstick is shown at the bottom of the tube, being reminiscent of the NYX Round Lipsticks.
One of my makeup pet peeves is when the shade name of a product is attached to the packaging so that when you unwrap/open the product, you no longer know what the shade name is. Thankfully, this is not an issue with these lipsticks.

Moving on to what you're actually interested in - the formula of these lipsticks are really nice. Smooth, soft and creamy with a satin finish. It is easy to achieve full opacity on the lips without the need of constant layering. Another plus is that they sit comfortably on the lips without being overly drying. Sounds like the ideal formula right?

However, they are so creamy that I find they can sometimes accentuate dry patches so be sure to have exfoliated, non-flaky lips beforehand. These don't have amazing lasting power either; they'll definitely come off when eating. The texture of these lipsticks are so soft that I could see melting being a potential hazard and while swatching these, the actual lipstick bullet of Nude broke off, so I can only imagine what would happen if one of these babies were left in the car on a hot Summer's day...


Onto the individual shades...

'PRETTY PINK'

Out of the three SAVVY lipsticks, this is my most used lipstick, purely because of the colour. Pretty Pink is a wearable warm-toned, dusty pink. I find the warm tones suits my yellow complexion very well and sets it apart from the many cool-toned baby pinks I have in my collection.

'NUDE' 

Whenever I hear the word 'nude' with regards to a lipstick, I think of a peachy-salmon, almost concealer-like shade, or a very light pink. However, this Nude I consider to be a very wearable nude as it is darker than the usual nudes you think of. It still has the hints of pink but has beige/brown undertones. Personally, I find that this lipstick makes me look too mature but I think it could look great when used for a sophisticated makeup look.

'GUAVA'

Guava is a bright, coral pink that isn't too in-your-face and can still be wearable. I'm a chicken when it comes to bright lipsticks so I don't find myself pulling this shade out too often but it also looks beautiful when sheered out. While swatching, I realised that this shade looked really similar to something else I owned, and lo and behold, when swatched beside MAC's Crosswires (also a bright coral), there was a striking similarity.

I personally would call it a dupe but as they are not spot-on identical, some people may argue otherwise. Crosswires is more vibrant and has more red in it but on my lips, they look pretty much the same. You can judge for yourself as to whether they are dupes or not (see swatches below).

L: Savvy by DB 'Guava'           R: MAC 'Crosswires' 

BARE LIPS:

Pretty Pink 

Nude 

Guava

Swatches of Pretty Pink, Nude and Guava (from left to right)

Overall, I do like the SAVVY by DB lipsticks and would recommend them if you're looking for an affordable drugstore lippie. They have a large shade range and at $5 each, you can afford to even buy several. 

SAVVY by DB is quite an underrated brand and I wouldn't mind checking out their other products to see if I can find any more bargain gems.

Available only from Priceline for AUD$4.99.